Hinkes Delayed By Maoists

Alan Hinkes attempt on Dhaulagiri has got off to slow start thanks to a general strike, or 'bandh' caused by Maoist insurgents in Kathmandu.

Alan arrived in Nepal last week to attempt his penultimate 8,000-metre peak and is currently staying in Kathmandu. On arrival, he contacted his Nepalese agent Bikrum Pandy and has been busy finalising the details of his climbing permit.

For the past few days though, the capital has been in the throes of a general strike with all shops closed and the roads empty of traffic - quite an impressive achievement if you've ever been to Kathmandu. As a resuly, Bikrum's office is unmanned and Alan has struggled to sort out the admin or even to get his kit out of storage and trek it over. On the plus side, bicycle travel is still permitted, so he's been able to get around the city and the ever present pollution smog has lifted a little.

Once the bandh has ended in the next day or so, it'll be full speed ahead to Dhaulagiri base camp. The problems with Maoists may not be over however. The roadhead at Beni is in the middle of an active Maoist area and there's every chance that Hinkes will have to pay a 'voluntary donation' to the group in order to continue his trek into base camp. As a good Yorkshireman he'll be haggling hard for a modest one-off payment and making sure he has a receipt to avoid paying twice...

"Nothing is ever simple in Nepal and there's always something other than the mountain to test me!" commented Hinkes from Kathmandu. "Despite delays, I should be able to get cracking with my final preparations over the weekend, pack my Berghaus expedition backpack and head off on the trek early next week.

"This all means that a mid-May summit is still possible, with a couple of summit windows available after that if necessary. Keeping in touch with the outside world will be tricky during the trek, but I will do my best to send updates through Bikrum's office and by satellite telephone to the team back at Berghaus."

Here on OM we wish Alan all the best on the trek in and the climb and we'll bring you more updates on his progress as soon as we have them. Watch this space.